Hamilton will “work as a team” with Bottas at Mexico GP start
Lewis Hamilton says he and Valtteri Bottas will “work as a team” to hold off the Red Bull Formula 1 drivers heading into the 2021 Mexican Grand Prix’s first corner.


Bottas claimed pole for Sunday’s race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, with Hamilton joining him on the front row as Red Bull’s expected dominance with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez fell apart in Q3.
The Mexico City track has the longest run from the grid to the first braking zone of any circuit on the F1 calendar.
It is comparable to the start at Sochi – where Turn 2 is the first braking point – and at the Russian track it is often preferable to start behind the front row because of the significant slipstream effect created by the drivers leading off the line.
This situation is smaller in Mexico because of the city’s high altitude, but Hamilton says he and Bottas will still be wary of the threat posed by the Red Bull cars lining up just behind them and looking for an opportunity to attack at a sequence of opening corners were there has regularly been incidents since the race rejoined the F1 calendar in 2015.
“It’s a little bit different,” Hamilton said of comparisons with the start tactics needed at Sochi for those required in Mexico.
“It’s obviously probably almost as long, if not, yeah, I don’t know exactly.
“It feels exactly the same sort of length but obviously in Russia there’s a lot more drag and a lot more tow effect.
“Here there’s less but still there is a tow effect and so you know, Valtteri and I will no doubt work as a team to try and hold 1-2 for the team.”

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
In qualifying on Saturday, Hamilton ended up finishing behind his team-mate for the fifth time in 2021 (not including sprint race results).
He said he had not run with a radical set-up in a bid to close the considerable post-FP3 gap to Red Bull – stating “we very rarely do that” – but did say he was not feeling comfortable with the results of the “small tweaks” in set-up that had been made for his car in qualifying.
“To be honest I really struggled,” said the world champion. “I didn’t really like the set-up of the car [in qualifying]. It was good in FP3, but I struggled with it in qualifying.”
Bottas said after taking his 19th F1 pole that “with the higher temperatures [in the] afternoon than in the morning it came our way” and Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff revealed that while this was occurring, the eventual pole-winner was not moved by his team’s attempts to make further set-up changes to his W12.
“Throughout the session in the garage, they tried to convince him a little bit about some set of changes,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1.
“And he said ‘no, not changing, not changing, not changing’. And then went for the lap. It is really very enjoyable to see that kind of performance.”
Related video

The next-level gaming studio boosting McLaren's F1 appeal
Williams explains Russell gearbox issues, hopes for Mexican GP race of attrition

Latest news
Daytona 24: WTR Acura tops heavily interrupted FP1
Five red flags disrupted the first practice session for this weekend's Daytona 24 Hours, while Filipe Albuquerque put the Wayne Taylor Racing Andretti Autosport Acura on top.
Pedrosa to make KTM MotoGP wildcard outing in Spanish GP
Dani Pedrosa will make his first MotoGP race start since the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix with a wildcard entry for KTM at this year’s Spanish GP in April.
House of Lords peer criticises "discourteous and unprofessional" Ben Sulayem
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been criticised by a House of Lords peer for being "deeply discourteous and unprofessional" in failing to reply to human rights concerns.
LMP2 drivers question move to slow class for Daytona 24 Hours
Leading LMP2 drivers have questioned the need for the secondary class to be slowed ahead of this weekend's Daytona 24 Hours, given that the new top-class GTP cars are running similar lap times to their DPi predecessors.
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? LUKE SMITH asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
When F1 ‘holiday’ races kept drivers busy through the winter
Modern Formula 1 fans have grown accustomed to a lull in racing during winter in the northern hemisphere. But, as MAURICE HAMILTON explains, there was a time when teams headed south of the equator rather than bunkering down in the factory. And why not? There was fun to be had, money to be made and reputations to forge…
What Porsche social media frenzy says about F1’s manufacturer allure
Porsche whipped up a frenzy thanks to a cryptic social media post last week and, although it turned out to be a false alarm, it also highlighted why manufacturers remain such an important element in terms of the attraction that they bring to F1. It is little wonder that several other manufacturers are bidding for a slice of the action
Why the new Williams boss shouldn’t avoid ‘Mercedes B-team’ comparisons
OPINION: Williams has moved to replace the departed Jost Capito by appointing former Mercedes chief strategist James Vowles as its new team principal. But while he has sought to play down the idea of moulding his new squad into a vision of his old one, some overlap is only to be expected and perhaps shouldn't be shied away from
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.